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Shin Bet and the police announced on Thursday that they arrested Jihad Zariqat, a resident of Kafr Kana, last month on suspicion of committing security offenses. During his arrest, they found wills he had written, various Hamas publications teaching how to carry out attacks, and other nationalist materials in his possession.
A Shin Bet and police investigation revealed Zariqat had planned to carry out a vehicular ramming attack against IDF troops and even attempted to execute his plan. An indictment was filed against him on Thursday.
According to the indictment, during 2022, Zariqat adopted an ideology in line with Hamas doctrine, viewing Jews as "infidels" deserving death and Israel as a foreign, occupying entity. He consumed content related to jihad and martyrdom and decided to carry out an attack targeting security forces near the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
As part of his preparations, Zariqat drafted a will on his cellphone between April 2022 and October 2023, in which he wrote that one must "die for Allah" as part of a war against the State of Israel and its citizens. The will included quotes from the spokesperson of Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades. Additionally, the defendant purchased writings by Hamas terrorists that encouraged attacks and watched tutorials on how to manufacture explosive devices.
The indictment also noted that, following October 7, Zariqat's desire to die a "martyr's death" as part of a terrorist attack increased. In January 2024, he drafted another handwritten will, calling for jihad and referring to himself as a "living martyr." According to a second charge in the indictment, in April 2024, Zariqat attempted to carry out a vehicular ramming attack against IDF soldiers near the Golani Junction in northern Israel, west of the Sea of Galilee.
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He believed that among the soldiers waiting at the bus stop was a young man from his village who had enlisted in the IDF and whom he considered a "traitor." Zariqat accelerated his car toward the bus stop intending to hit the soldiers, but another vehicle passing by blocked his path, preventing him from completing the attack.
Last week, police and Shin Bet arrested Kamel Nashaf, a 21-year-old resident of Tayibe, on suspicion of pledging allegiance to ISIS, making contact with operatives affiliated with the organization, and deciding to exact retribution for the war in Gaza by assisting terrorist organizations in the West Bank. Police investigations revealed that Nashaf filmed security forces en route to Tulkarm and transmitted the information via Telegram to operatives in the area to prepare for the forces' arrival. An indictment against him will be filed on Thursday.
The investigation revealed that Nashaf began consuming ISIS-related terrorist content on social media during the summer of last year and even made contact with operatives affiliated with the organization. He pledged allegiance to ISIS, considered himself a member, and possessed materials tied to the organization, which were seized during his arrest.
About two weeks ago, the prosecution sought to impose a minimum nine-month prison sentence on 24-year-old student Miryam Abu Quider, who posted messages of praise and support for terrorist organizations on Instagram. She continued her activities despite being warned by Shin Bet that her posts constituted incitement. Abu Quider was convicted in March 2024 of identifying with a terrorist organization as part of a plea deal. She had been arrested three years earlier during a protest at Ben-Gurion University, where she had previously studied.
In mid-February, police and Shin Bet announced they had successfully foiled a vehicular ramming and shooting attack planned by two Arab-Israeli citizens targeting security forces. The two, Rateb Omar, 18, and Omri Musa, 22, from the town of Zemer, were charged in the Lod District Court with conspiracy to commit aggravated murder. Additionally, each was charged, according to their roles, with preparing for acts of terrorism, training for terrorist purposes, and using weapons for terrorist purposes.